Palestinian children and adolescents are systematically detained by the Israeli army. The most common reason for their arrest is that the occupying forces threw stones at their soldiers. Sometimes these detentions continue for months without hearing or family visits. new Save the Children researchconfirms that, based on testimonies of minors presented this Monday, they have been repeatedly subjected to physical and emotional abuse. Four out of five people are beaten and 70% robbed. About half (42%) suffered injuries such as gunshot wounds and bone fractures at the time of arrest. Some report sexual violence. Others claim they were transferred to courts or detention centers in small cages, according to a press release issued by the international NGO.
The United Nations estimates 500 to 1,000 boys and girls are held in Israeli military detention centers each year. Just this Monday, the UN is presenting to the Council of Rights evidence of violations of the rights of minors in Israeli detention.
Israel some Palestinian children They are trying to commit acts of terrorism. Parliament passed a law in 2016 allowing the detention of “terrorist children” aged 12 and over.
“There is no justification for hitting and robbing children.“Treat them like animals or steal their future,” says Jason Lee, director of Save Children in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. “They are the only children in the world to face systematic prosecution in military courts.”
Israel occupy militarily Gaza StripWest Bank and East Jerusalem, the land became known as Palestine. Since 2008, when the United Nations began counting the casualties caused by the conflict, Israel has killed 6,327 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are civilians, including 1,417 children. At the hands of the Palestinians, 408 Israelis died, including 43 minors, more than half of whom were civilians. There is no material damage count.
with the report. Interviews with 228 children (221 boys and 7 girls) former detainees for periods ranging from one month to one and a half years. The organization says they have confirmed that the majority were beaten, handcuffed and blindfolded during detention. Also, they are interrogated in unknown places without their father, mother or legal guardian. They are often deprived of food, water, sleep or access to legal counsel. The main alleged crime for these arrests is stone throwing, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Numbers of abuse
According to the report:
– During detention, 42% of children were injured: gunshot wounds and bone fracturesand 65% of the children were detained at night, particularly between midnight and dawn. Half of the arrests occurred in the home of minors.
– Many children report “terrible levels of physical and emotional abuse” because beatings (86%), attack threats (70%) and blows with sticks or guns (60%).
– Some children have reported violence and sexual abuse, such as: hitting or touching the genitalsand 69%, body search.
– 60% of children subject to solitary confinementwith a period ranging from one to 48 days.
– 58% of children visits denied or contacting their families while in detention.
The report discloses some statements anonymously. For example Khalil, He was arrested at the age of 13. He claims that he did not receive medical attention. “I injured my leg, was in a cast and had to drag myself to move. Felt like my body was being destroyed […] The second time the soldier arrested me, he threatened to kill me. Since he was killed, he asked me if I wanted to suffer the same fate as his cousin. He promised me the same thing would happen to me and I would die, but he would send me to jail first. He said he’d come back for me, and every day I wait for that day to come.”
Or Yasmeen’sAhmed’s mother, who was arrested at the age of 14. He says that he was convinced to give up on his brother in exchange for his son’s release during his interrogation: “He was naive and did not understand what was happening. He said what he said; they came to us a few days later. They arrested our house and my other son.”